Beginnings...

I started my career in interior design while still finishing my undergraduate degree at Duke University.  I made the trek down Tobacco Road into rival territory at a high end design firm in Chapel Hill.  After my new colleagues got the Duke/Dook jokes out of the way, I quickly found myself captivated by this world of interior design.  Although the southern style of decorating at this firm was not what I was used to (born and raised in New England), I was fascinated by the process and at the time, particularly taken with the extensive fabric library (I just can't resist beautiful fabrics to this day).  Being located so far away from any major city with a design center, it was a necessity to have a plethora of fabrics, lighting books, carpets, etc. on hand and I took full advantage of perusing these resources. 

Fast forward one year to my first job out of college at a high end design firm in New York City...  I remember visiting the D&D building on my first day of work and immediately realized that I just stepped into the big leagues and it was exciting!  The pace of my first day in NYC seemed to me to be about as fast as I had EVER moved in NC (and I ran track in college...).  Just like running though, I realized that I was hooked!  I dove in head first and learned the city like the back of my hand.  I knew, based on the time of day, when it was most efficient to take a cab, when to take the subway, every subway line and which trains ran express, within weeks of my arrival.  I spent no more than 10 hours total, in an office during that first year.  My time was spent running uptown to Park Avenue for site meetings with clients, downtown to my favorite little shops in Tribeca and Soho, over to the west side to check in on the upholstery work ALL while wearing stiletto heels.  That city wore me out but I loved (with some marked exceptions) every minute.  I owe a great thanks to Jennifer Flanders for being a mentor to me during my time in New York, while I worked for her.  I learned a great deal and had every resource at my fingertips living and working in Manhattan. 

After working in two locales that I consider to be nearly polar opposites, I now work in the DC area, which I find to fall somewhere in the middle.  We have a design center, many stores and great vendors but of course it still cannot even come close to the resources in NYC (luckily that is only a 2.5hr Acela train ride away).  There is a great community of designers here and I enjoy taking part in events that bring lots of talented designers together.  Below is a photo with several other designers and vendors at the Washington Design Center Design House Opening Gala (I am the second from the right).  I now operate my business, C&M Designs, out of Alexandria, VA and am excited to further build and grow my business here. 

This is just my first post of many to come so I figured it best to start with this little intro.  More Interior Style commentary and musings to come so keep checking back!

C (&M)